What happened
A military transport mission traveling from Hohn Air Base in Schlespot-Holstein, Germany, to Chania-Souda Airport in Greece ended in a fatal accident. The flight was transporting 37 members of the German military along with five crew members as part of a deployment to a NATO contingency in Crete.
During the approach to Chania, the aircraft encountered severe weather characterized by heavy fog and snowfall. While the flight was descending through an altitude of 5,000 feet, the aircraft type struck the side of Mt Kukules, situated approximately 24 km from its destination. The impact caused the plane to break apart, resulting in 42 fatalities.
Findings
The accident occurred while the aircraft was in the descent phase of flight. The primary contributing factor was the adverse weather conditions, specifically the presence of snow and low visibility due to fog, during the approach to the airport.